The Cutthroat

An Isaac Bell Adventure

"The year is 1911. Chief Investigator Isaac Bell of the Van Dorn Detective Agency has had many extraordinary cases before. But none quite like this. Hired to find a young woman named Anna Pape who ran away from home to become an actress, Bell gets a shock when her murdered body turns up instead. Vowing to bring the killer to justice, he begins a manhunt which leads him into increasingly more alarming territory. Anna Pape was not alone in her fate--petite young blond women like Anna are being murdered in cities across America. And the pattern goes beyond the physical resemblance of the victims--there are disturbing familiarities about the killings themselves that send a chill through even a man as experienced with evil as Bell. If he is right about his fears, then he is on the trail of one of the greatest monsters of his time"-- Provided by publisher

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A period piece is where we find Isaac Bell, a detective using modern technology but Cussler is quite light on making that aspect come to life. This is a whodunit that unravels like an onion as you rule out likely suspects but it is better than Cussler's Fargo efforts.

Of all Clive Cussler's adventure novel series, the Isaac Bell ones is the best. I like them all, but the period setting with this series is awesome and intriguing. In addition to the usual good storytelling and creative plots, THE CUTTHROAT adds a fun trip to England by Isaac Bell and adds a surprise character based on that. I liked it a lot! Have to laugh sometimes because of the period language - I am especially amused when the text says things like, ..."raced to San Francisco...," given it is early 1900s and 'racing' was by train. But it is correct for the era - still makes me smile. Enjoy.

The Isaac Bell series for me is one of Cussler's best. Not only is it action packed, but it also brings you back to a place in time that is historically very interesting. You can see the impact modern inventions, such as the steam locomotive, telegraph, automobile, and airplanes, had on the people of that period and how immigration and gangs changed life. Very good reading if you like historical, action packed fiction!

I guess there wasn't much about this one to spark my interest. I don't find this character and setting as interesting as the classic Dirk Pitt books from decades ago. Still, I normally will finish one of Cussler's books in a few days. This one took me almost a month. It wasn't one of those that was hard to put down and maybe ignore for a day or two while reading.

I would independently verify before accepting anything Cussler writes as factual. I have a file where I have recorded all kinds of incorrect facts I have seen in Cussler's books, including errors in scuba diving which is a mainstay for some of his books. They are still good stories but there is no clear division between what is altered to make a story work. Using these books to get a historical perspective on things might be akin to watching a John Wayne western to get an idea as to what Arizona was like in the late 1800s.